Complications
by RainWriter99
Summary: Rose Weasley is in her 5th year at Hogwarts. She figures it will be just another normal year. She's wrong though. Against all odds, Rose falls for Scorpius Malfoy, enemy to her family. But she also falls for her best friend. Rose knows she must choose just one boy, but who will she choose?
1. Chapter 1

"Rose Lynn Weasley! We're going to miss the train! Hurry up!" Called Rose's brother Hugo just before he vanished through the wall to Platform 9 & 3/4. With a sigh, Rose ran through the wall after her younger brother.

Once through the wall, Rose was on the platform. She smiled to herself at the familiar sights laid out before her; parents saying goodbye to their children, young witches and wizards boarding the train, and of course the younger siblings that had yet to start at Hogwarts. Rose had seen this every year on September 1st since she started at school, and yet the bustle of it all still amazed her.

Rose's parents had dropped her and her brother off outside the train station, giving them a hurried good-bye before hopping back in their car and driving off to work. She didn't mind that they had to work, but what bothered her was that they had though SHE was going into her 4th year, and that HUGO was going into his 5th year. Hugo had of course corrected them right away; they had gotten the years mixed up. Rose was going into her 5th year, while Hugo was only going into his 4th year. But none of that really mattered, Rose told herself. She would get to see her best friend again soon, and she couldn't wait for that.

Rose began to walk toward the train, pushing her trunk on a trolley, with the carrying cage for her cat, Beatrice, sitting on top of her trunk. As she approached the train, she caught sight of her best friend boarding the train alone. Rose smiled to herself and pushed the trolley faster, eager to catch up with her friend.

Once she reached the train, Rose put her trunk in the designated area, then boarded with Beatrice in her cage. Rose looked around quickly, but her friend was nowhere insight, so Rose walked down the aisle of the train.

Rose looked in each compartment until she came across her best friend sitting in one pretty close to the back of the train. She smiled, then slipped into the compartment, carrying Beatrice with her.

"Rose!" Exclaimed her best friend, Thomas.

"Hello Thomas. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Rose replied, smiling. It hadn't actually been that long since the pair had seen each other, only since they were let out of their 4th year back in June.

Still, Rose thought, Thomas had changed over the short couple months they were apart. His brown hair had gotten longer. In fact, it was almost as long as her hair, she noticed. But Thomas was still the same happy, playful, Ravenclaw she had befriended on the train ride to Hogwarts back in her first year.

Thomas grinned, nodding. He jumped up from his seat and gave Rose a quick hug, then said hello to Beatrice through the cage door. The black and white cat just made a little meowing sound and pawed at the cage. Even Beatrice had missed Thomas.

"How was your summer?" Thomas asked Rose as she sat down, placing Beatrice's cage on the bench across from her.

"The usual." Rose answered, smiling at Thomas. Thomas grinned back at her and sat next to her. "What about yours?"

"It was good." Thomas said simply. "I missed you over the summer though."

Rose smiled.

"I missed you too." She said to her best friend. Thomas grinned and gave Rose another hug.

A moment later there came a knock at the door to their compartment. Rose pulled herself out of her friend's hug and turned to see who it was. Standing just outside their compartment was a teenage boy- probably a 5th or 6th year, Rose guessed. The boy had pale blonde hair and the most startlingly bright blue eyes Rose had ever seen. He was cute, Rose thought.

"Sorry, err, do you mind if I sit in here? Everywhere else is rather full..." The boy asked awkwardly.

"No, not at all. Come in and sit." Rose replied, smiling kindly at the boy.

The boy gave her a grateful smile, then sat down on the bench across from Rose and Thomas. Beatrice, who was now out of her cage, sniffed at the boy when he sat next to her carrying cage. Beatrice sniffed the boy for a moment, then laid down in his lap, purring loudly.

Thomas chuckled. "Well look at that. Little Miss Beatrice likes you."

The boy gave them a smile. "I suppose she does." The boy said, a note of proudness in his voice.

"She's a good judge of character. If she likes you, then you can't be that horrid of a person." Rose said to him, smiling.

The boy simply grinned at her, and she felt her heart give a little flutter.

"I'm Thomas." Rose's friend said, extending a hand out toward the blonde boy.

"Scorpius. Nice to meet you." The boy replied, smiling as he shook hands with Thomas, then turned his attention to Rose. "And who might you be?"

_Scorpius_, Rose thought. _Where have I heard that name before?_

"I'm Rose." She answered as she extended her hand out to shake his. "Pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine." Scorpius said, giving Rose's hand a light kiss that caused her face to redden slightly.

Thomas coughed beside her and she pulled her hand away. Rose looked at her friend, wondering what the cough had been about. It had obviously not been real, she could tell from the sound of it. No, Thomas had forced the fake cough, but why? She thought as she looked at him.

Thomas caught Rose's glance and muttered something about needing to clear his throat, then the three students went quiet.

They sat in silence for nearly ten minutes before Scorpius finally pipped up.

"When I knocked, was I interrupting you two? Did I intrude on a, well, personal moment?" Scorpius asked.

"What are you saying?" Thomas questioned the blonde boy. His tone was rather defensive, Rose thought.

"I was asking," Scorpius said with a sudden edge to his voice, "if you two are dating."

"What? No! Of course not! We're best friends! We've been best friends since our first year here!" Rose exclaimed, slightly taken aback by the question.

Did everybody think she and Thomas were dating? Rose wondered. Did Thomas even like her in that way? She had no way of knowing the answer to either of her questions, so she did her best to try to forget them.

"Right, just friends. Sorry..." Scorpius apologized, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Don't be. People ask me that all the time." Thomas remarked, causing Rose to look at him in bewilderment.

"They do? Since when?" Rose asked, clearly shocked by what her friend had said.

"Rose, I don't think now is the time for this... Besides, it doesn't matter anyway..." Thomas told her, giving Scorpius an apologetic look like what a parent might give a neighbor who's window their child just broke while playing ball.

"Thomas, tell me." She pushed, starting to sound a bit annoyed.

"It doesn't matter, Rosie. It's nothing."

"No, tell me! What have you been telling people about us, Thomas?" Rose asked, her temper rising.

"Nothing! I haven't told anyone anything about us!"

"Then why did you say people keep asking you about us?"

"Because... I never said anything to them about us... I didn't tell them we were dating, but I also didn't tell them we weren't..." Thomas said, a slight note of fear clear in his voice.

Thomas was scared of Rose's temper, and she knew it. Everybody was scared of her temper. She had the famous Weasley temper, with her own fierceness added to it. It was a frightening combination indeed, and people had every right to be scared of Rose when she got angry.

Scorpius, however, didn't know better, because he had only just met the redheaded girl, and he had no clue what she was capable of when angry. Scorpius leaned forward and placed his hand on Rose's shoulder. The red-haired girl's head swiveled around to look at him, the fiery anger lighting up her bright, green eyes.

In that instant he knew he had made a mistake. He was suddenly frightened that Rose would turn her anger on him for interfering. But instead she just glared at him.

"Rose..." Scorpius said to her carefully.

"What?" She hissed at him.

Scorpius just looked at Rose, giving her a look that said, "Really? I think you know what."

Upon seeing his look, Rose calmed down and apologized to Thomas. Thomas forgave her quickly, insisting it was perfectly fine that she had gotten mad at him, considering he wasn't telling her what she wanted to know.

Rose, however, knew it wasn't okay that she had gotten mad. She knew Thomas hadn't expected it, and she felt bad about snapping at him. When she tried to say this to him, he just shrugged it away, stating that everything was fine now, and no more needed to be said about it.

Scorpius couldn't help but smile. He had gotten this fiery little redhead to keep from attacking what he still thought was her boyfriend.

Shame, Scorpius thought. If this beautiful redhead did have a boyfriend, then he wouldn't have a chance with her. But if she was single, then maybe...

But no. She was clearly a Weasley. What girl could have that bright red hair, the fiery temper, and NOT be a Weasley? His father would be furious if he knew his son liked one of the Weasley girls... But strangely, for once, he didn't care what his father thought about him.

Scorpius decided that this girl would be the one he opened up to. Rose would be the one who got to see who he really was, not the son his father thought he had. Scorpius was a Malfoy, yes, but he had nearly been put into Ravenclaw. The hat, however, decided at the last moment to place him in Slytherin, just like his father had been in when he went to Hogwarts. Ever since then everybody expected him to be just like his father, and Scorpius knew he had to act the part or he would be an outcast. Being an outcast was bad enough. Being an outcast in Slytherin was even worse.

Once Scorpius snapped out of his train of thoughts, Rose and Thomas were chatting between themselves, apparently about music. Scorpius wasn't exactly sure why, but he listened to their conversation, intrigued. He listened as they spoke to each other about songs he had never heard- apparently they were by some Muggles- and about this band they loved. It was a Muggle band, Scorpius realized. Because no wizard would sing about love the way they did in the songs Rose and Thomas spoke about.

Then they seemed to realize that Scorpius was still there, so Thomas and Rose quit talking about their Muggle music they loved so much. The two looked at Scorpius quietly. Scorpius knew it would be up to him to get a conversation amongst the three of them going. He leaned forward a bit, racking his brain for something to say to them.

"So, err, what houses are you guys in?" Scorpius asked them as soon as the question came to mind.

"Ravenclaw." They answered at the same time, then looked at each other for a moment.

"Jinx!" They said at the same time again. Rose and Thomas burst out laughing at their synchronized responses.

Scorpius couldn't suppress his smile as he watched them laughing together. Rose looked beautiful, he thought, despite that she was leaning against Thomas's side while her laughter rang through the compartment.

It took a couple minutes, but the Ravenclaws across from Scorpius finally managed to get their laughter under control.

"What about you? What house are you in?" Rose asked him once her laughter had subsided.

"What? Oh. Slytherin..." Scorpius said hesitantly.

"Oh..." Rose said, a flash of realization on her face.

She knew who he was now, he thought. She would never speak to him again. This was it. And all because of his stupid house.

_Sometimes_, Scorpius thought, _I really hate my house. This happens every time somebody asks about my house._

Scorpius scrambled to think of something else to say that would get this beautiful red-head to speak to him yet again, even if it was the last time should would ever say anything to him.

"I would much rather be in Ravenclaw, though. Or perhaps Gryffindor. Hell, even Hufflepuff would be better than being stuck in stupid Slytherin." Scorpius said, hiding the desperation he was feeling.

"Is that so?" Thomas asked him, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Scorpius nodded. "I'm not like the rest of my family. I don't belong in Slytherin. Not really."

"What family would that be?" Thomas questioned him.

Scorpius sighed inwardly. Thomas was questioning him nonstop about himself, and Rose hadn't even said a thing since she found out he was in Slytherin. He had screwed up this time.

_There go my chances with her_, Scorpius thought.

"I'm a Malfoy..." Scorpius said.

"Oh really? Well isn't that funny. You an Rosie here seem to be getting along perfectly, despite how much your families hate each other." Thomas stated.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked.

"I mean that Ro-" Thomas started, before he saw Rose glaring at him.

"He means," Rose said, "That I'm a Weasley."


	2. Chapter 2

Even though Scorpius already knew, he was still surprised to hear her say it straight-forwardly.

"Great. Thanks a lot, Thomas." Rose said when she saw Scorpius's expression, which clearly conveyed that he was shocked. "I'm going to go change into my robes now. We're almost to the castle."

With that, Rose stood up and exited the compartment without even a glance backward. Scorpius watched, open-mouthed, as she went.

Thomas caught Scorpius staring after Rose, and faked a loud cough. He saw the Slytherin jump, then look at him.

"Yes?" Scorpius asked.

"Leave her alone. I will not allow you to hurt her. She isn't one of those girls you can make fall for you, use, then discard like a pile of trash. She's different. Special. And I will NOT let you hurt her in any way, so you may as well just forget about her." Thomas said, glaring at Scorpius.

All of that was true, Thomas thought, but he had other reasons for wanting Scorpius to back off. Thomas himself liked Rose, and it was clear from the way Scorpius looked at Rose that he liked Rose too. Thomas knew perfectly well that there just wasn't enough room for both of them in her heart.

They were both quiet for a couple minutes.

"But I won't hurt her." Scorpius finally said.

"Yes. You. Will." Thomas hissed.

"No. I won't." Scorpius insisted.

"Yes you will! Now leave her alone, or else you'll have to deal with me."

"I'm not scared of you."

"You had better be." Thomas said, obviously seething from anger.

"Well I'm not." Scorpius stated calmly.

"That's your mistake." Thomas growled.

Thomas stood up quickly, his fists clenched. His face was red with anger. He looked like he could explode at any second.

_He's going to hit me!_ Scorpius thought, bemused. He couldn't help but smile. Thomas didn't seem like the kind of person who could beat Scorpius in a fight.

Scorpius stood up to meet Thomas's glare. "What are you going to do? Hit me?" Scorpius asked, a cocky smile playing across his face.

"Maybe I will." Thomas replied.

Just then the door to the compartment and Rose stepped in, giggling into her hand. With her stood a brown-haired girl who was also giggling into her hand.

Upon seeing the two girls, Thomas backed away from Scorpius, no longer looking angry.

"Hi Thomas!" The brown-haired girl said, smiling.

"Hello Dominique." Thomas replied.

Dominique, Scorpius thought, So that's her name.

"Domi, this is Scorpius." Rose said, gesturing to Scorpius, who had skunked back and sat on the bench in the very corner of the compartment.

"It's nice to meet you." Dominique said with a bright smile on her face.

"Same to you." Scorpius muttered.

"What's his problem?" Dominique whispered in Rose's ear.

"I think he hates me..." Rose whispered back.

"Why would he hate you? It looks to me like he's in LOVE with you!" Dominique replied quietly in her usual sing-song voice.

"Oh shut up!" Rose answered, blushing as she smacked her cousin. "He does NOT love me!"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he does. So does Thomas." Dominique replied, grinning.

"They don't love me... I'm just friends with them!" Rose exclaimed

"Uh-huh... Sure you are..." Dominique said in disbelief.

"I am." Rose stated plainly.

"Hello? What are you two girls rambling on about now?" Thomas asked, interrupting them.

"Rose doesn't believe tha-" Dominique started.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Rose said, cutting off her cousin.

"Rose, really." Thomas insisted.

Dominique was about to say something, but Rose elbowed her in the side. Dominique yelped in pain, then looked at Rose, clearly upset by it. Then Dominique made her way toward Scorpius and sat down across from him.

Dominique and Scorpius sat quietly, watching as Rose explained to Thomas that they had simply been talking about this guy Domi liked.

Dominique leaned forward and whispered to Scorpius, "I know you like her. I can tell. If you make a move, just promise me you'll be good to her. I don't want to see my cousin get hurt."

Scorpius nodded to show his understanding. Dominique smiled then turned her attention back to Rose and Thomas, who had now sat down; Rose next to Scorpius and Thomas next to Dominique.

"What are you guys talking about now?" Dominique asked curiously.

"Just this Muggle book I'm reading." Rose replied.

"Really? What's it called?" Dominique asked.

"City of Fallen Angels." Rose answered.

"Really? I've read that book." Scorpius said, clearly excited to have found someone interested in the same kinds of books as him.

Rose nodded, smiling. Thomas just glared at Scorpius, mouthing "Back off" to him silently. Scorpius chose to ignore Thomas.

"How are you liking it so far? Have you read the other 3 books before it?" Scorpius asked Rose.

"Yes! I love it so far. It's amazing!" Rose beamed.

Scorpius would have asked Rose more questions, but at that moment he looked out the window and realized how close they were to arriving at the school. He looked around the compartment and realized he was the only one not in his robes yet. Thomas had somehow managed to change into his robes without Scorpius noticing the Ravenclaw boy's absence.

Scorpius told everybody that he needed to go change real quickly, then left the compartment.

Rose watched Scorpius go from the corner of her eye, only half listening as Dominique rambled on about her summer- apparently Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill had taken Dominique, Victoire, and Louis to France to see their grandmother on Fleur's side of the family. Dominique rambled happily about getting to go up on the Eiffel Tower and getting to see the city at night from the top of the Tower.

"It was breath-taking. I can't even begin to explain how beautiful it was. It was dark, with bright lights twinkling like little stars in the night sky. I loved it. You would have loved it too, Rosie." Dominique chattered happily.

"What?" Rose asked, snapping out of her trance.

"The view from the Eiffel Tower! You would have LOVED it!" Dominique answered, smiling. "Pay attention, silly Rosie!"

"Sorry." Rose muttered.

"It's alright." Dominique said, still smiling. "Thomas! Oh, you would have simply ADORED the music playing in the streets!"

"Really? What was it like?" Thomas asked curiously.

"It was beautiful..." Dominique rambled on about the music while Rose looked out the window quietly.

Rose heard a tap at the compartment door and spun her head around to see who it was. Standing there in his Slytherin robes was Scorpius. Her heart jumped in her chest as the train came to a stop in the station, and her friends stood up to exit the train, leaving her sitting there staring at the spot where Scorpius had been before the crowd of students pushed him away.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been 3 months since the train ride, and Rose hadn't seen Scorpius since then.

Rose was out on the grounds of Hogwarts. It was Saturday, and the sun was just about to rise. Rose made her way down to the lake to watch the sun rise. The chilly December air bit at her face as she walked.

It had been easy sneaking out of the castle. It was early in the morning, and nobody expected a student to sneak out of their common room in the earliest hours of the morning. Rose had no problems getting out, since everybody was still asleep, resting up for the Hogsmeade trip that would be in a few hours.

Rose sat on the shore of the lake, rubbing her bare hands together and blowing on them to keep them warm. She sat staring up at the sky, watching as it changed from a midnight blue color to a lighter blue, with traces of pinks, purples, yellows, and oranges in to. Then, eventually the sky changed to just a calm, light, blue color. The transition took a while, but Rose sat there watching the whole thing. It was beautiful, and she loved watching the sun rise.

Rose stood up and turned around. She began to make her way back to the castle when she heard somebody clear their throat. She whirled around to see who it was, her red hair flying as she spun around. Rose looked around her frantically, but saw nobody.

"Hello? Who's there?" Rose called out.

The person chuckled, and Rose heard a snapping sound as a branch broke somewhere to her right. She spun toward the direction the snapping sound had come from.

Rose saw somebody standing in the shadows of a few trees. The person slowly approached her. Rose was ready to turn and flee, when the person stepped out of the shadows.

It was Scorpius.

"Miss me?" Scorpius said, smirking.

Rose grinned and ran toward her friend. Scorpius stood there, smiling, with his arms open for a hug. When Rose reached him she hugged him, smiling brightly.

"You scared me!" Rose said as she pulled herself out of the hug and punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Sorry. I was just trying to make a dramatic entrance." Scorpius said defensively, rubbing his arm where Rose had punched him.

"Don't scare me like that!" Rose exclaimed.

"I can't make any promises there." Scorpius stated, smirking again.

Rose punched him again and he yelped out in pain, then he agreed not to scare her like that ever again.

"Wait, what are you doing out here?" Rose asked.

"I was watching the sun rise. What are _you_ doing out here?" Scorpius countered.

"Watching the sun rise." Rose answered.

Scorpius smiled at her. "Well isn't that funny?" He said.

Rose nodded, then asked, "Are you going on the Hogsmeade trip today?"

"Of course I am! Are you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am."

Scorpius grinned and asked, "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me on the trip?"

"It would be my pleasure." Rose answered, smiling.

"Great! I'll see you then." Scorpius beamed.

With that, he turned and walked off. Rose watched as he left, smiling to herself. She hadn't realized it, but she had been blushing when she accepted Scorpius's invitation.

Once he was out of her sight, Rose began to make her way back to the castle alone, her thoughts revolving around Scorpius. She could hardly wait for the Hogsmeade trip now.


	4. Chapter 4

Rose walked back to the castle and headed straight for the Great Hall. She sat down at the Raveclaw table, at the end closest to the entrance to the hall. She stared at the food on the plate in front of her, occasionally taking a couple bites of it.

Rose saw a familiar figure walk into the Great Hall out of the corner of her eye. The figure approached her, and she looked up from her food to see Thomas smiling down at her. She grinned and gestured for him to sit in the spot across from her. Thomas sat down and yawned. Clearly he had just woken up not to long ago, but that didn't matter. He was still very talkative.

"What do you want to do together on the Hogsmeade trip today?" Thomas asked her.

"Hm? What?" Rose asked, not having heard her friend's question.

"I asked what you want to do together on the Hogsmeade trip today."

"Oh. I, um... I already promised somebody else that I'd go on the trip with them. Sorry, Thomas."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I did. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Mind if I ask who, though?"

"Scorpius." Rose said, smiling a little.

"Oh. Well, have fun." Thomas said, his voice suddenly bitter.

Thomas got up then left.

Rose watched her friend leave and sighed quietly. She knew she had irritated him. But she didn't see how that could have annoyed him. She and Scorpius were only friends! Besides, Rose thought, Thomas and I do everything together.

Then Scorpius walked into the Great Hall. Rose smiled and waved at him. Scorpius smiled back at her as he walked toward the Slytherin table, which was right beside the Ravenclaw table. He sat on the bench facing the Ravenclaw table. Rose turned in her seat, so that she was facing him. They smiled at each other for a moment.

"Are you ready to go?" Scorpius eventually asked.

"Yes. What about you?" Rose replied, nodding.

"I'm ready when you are." Scorpius said, smiling.

"Alright." Rose smiled.

"Come on. We still have an hour and a half before the group leaves." Scorpius said as he stood up.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I already did."

"Oh. Okay."

Scorpius grinned and offered Rose his hand to help her up. Rose smiled, then took his hand. Scorpius pulled Rose up, and soon they were looking directly at each other. Or as directly as they could with Rose being a couple inches shorter than Scorpius.

Their faces were inches apart. They stood there, staring into each others' eyes for what seemed like an eternity to them. But really, it was only two minutes.

Finally, Rose's face went bright red and she took a step back.

"Err, what did you have in mind to pass the time?" Rose asked, still blushing.

"To be honest, I was hoping you would have an idea." Scorpius said, looking embarassed.

"Well, we could go for a walk around the grounds." Rose said, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Alright then." Scorpius said, grinning as she offered Rose his hand. "Shall we?"

"We shall!" Rose replied, taking his hand.

With that, the pair exited the Great Hall and headed outside, where they would spend the next hour and a half walking around the grounds, talking, laughing, smiling, and holding hands.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hurry up! We're going to miss the group!" Rose called over her shoulder to Scorpius, laughing as she ran toward the castle.

"I'm hurrying!" Scorpius called back, grinning as he caught up to her.

The two kept running until the finally reached the castle. One of the professors was standing in front of a crowd of students, calling role.

"Scorpius Malfoy?" The professor called out, glancing up from her clipboard.

Uh oh, Rose thought, That meant she had had to call Scorpius's name more than once...

"I'm here, professor!" Scorpius exclaimed, out of breath from running.

The professor spun around to face them, her face a mask of disbelief as she stared at the two.

"Is something wrong Professor McGonagall?" Rose asked innocently.

"What? Oh, dear heavens, no! I was simply curious as to where you two have been!" Professor McGonagall said.

"Oh. Well..." Rose started before Scorpius cut her off.

"Ms. Weasley here was down by the lake. I saw her and reminded her of what time it was, since I figured she would be coming on the trip. Then I offered to escort her here, and she accepted my invitation, so here we are." Scorpius said to Professor McGonagall.

"Oh. Very well then. You may join your peers now." Professor McGonagall said.

Rose nodded quietly and joined the crowd, searching around her for a familiar face. The instant she spotted Thomas she began to make her way over to him. It was habit for her. She had been doing this ever since they met. Rose would find Thomas in a crowd and go to join him.

But somebody put a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped dead in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder quietly to see Scorpius smiling at her. Her heart jumped in her chest, beating faster and faster than it had before. After a minute she realized she was staring and felt heat rush to her face. Rose gave Scorpius a sheepish smile, then looked down at her feet. Her red hair fell in front of her face, hiding it from anyone who might be looking in her direction.

She felt a hand under her chin, gently lifting her face up. She was now looking directly at Scorpius. He gave her a smile.

"Head up. There's no need to hide such a pretty, pretty face from the world. Do you understand?" Scorpius told her.

Rose felt her face go even redder. She opened her mouth to say something, but just then her name was called for role.

"Rose Weasley?" Professor McGonagall called out.

"Here, Professor!" Rose called back.

She smiled at Scorpius and gave him a quick nod to let him know she understood. He smiled back at her.

Professor McGonagall called out a few more names, then led the group out of the castle and towards Hogsmeade. Rose and Scorpius walked side by side, talking and laughing together.

At one point Rose tripped on a rock and stumbled forward. Scorpius grabbed her arm and quickly helped Rose steady herself. She gave him a grateful smile and blushed as Scorpius let go of her arm, taking ahold of her hand instead. She intertwined her fingers in his and they kept walking.

While the pair was at Hogsmeade, they were inseparable. They walked around together, occasionally going into a shop for a while to warm themselves up.

A few hours into their Hogsmeade visit they were in the Three Broomsticks, having butterbeer together. They talked and laughed while they were there. Once Rose and Scorpius finished their butterbeers, they payed then left.

When they stepped out side, they couldn't help but grin. It was snowing lightly, and an inch thick layer of snow coated the ground. Rose grinned and tipped her head back, letting the falling snow land on her face.

Scorpius chuckled at Rose, amused by the sudden childish nature of her behavior. He watched as the Weasley girl twirled around, her arms flung out to the side and her hair flying around her. _She's beautiful _, he thought. _Like an angel with red hair_.

Before Scorpius realized what was happening, Rose had taken his hands in hers and they were spinning in the snow together. Rose was laughing, her head tipped back so she could look up at the falling snow.

But then she slipped. She was falling backward. It seemed to Scorpius like everything was happening in slow motion as the smile faded from Rose's face while she fell backwards, her feet flying out from underneath her.

Quickly, Scorpius took action and grabbed Rose by the waist, catching her before she hit the ground. She gave a yelp of surprise. Everything sped back up to its normal pace. Rose was staring at him, her face slightly pinkish as she smiled at him gratefully. She was blushing, he realized. Instantly Scorpius felt heat rushing to his face as he smiled back at her.

"You can let go of me now, you know..." Rose said, her voice hinting at her embarrassment as she right herself, still in Scorpius's grasp.

"Oh, right... Sorry..." Scorpius muttered as he released his grip on Rose.

"It's alright... And thank you, for catching me." Rose replied, smiling.

"Rose!" Called a voice coming from somewhere behind Rose.

Rose spun around and saw Thomas running toward her, grinning. She smiled and waved at her friend.

"There you are! I've been looking for you!" Thomas exclaimed.

"Oh really? Why?" Rose asked.

"Come on, I have to show you something!" Thomas told Rose as he took her hand in his and began to drag her away.

Rose looked over her shoulder and waved at Scorpius, giving him an apologetic smile as Thomas dragged her away.

Scorpius stood there, watching as Rose disappeared in to distance, her and Thomas holding hands. He was silently cursing at himself for letting her slip through his fingers. Today was supposed to be _his_ day with her. But no matter how hard he tried, that best friend of her's was always getting in his way.


	6. Chapter 6

"Where are we going?" Rose asked Thomas as they left the main shopping area of Hogsmeade, headed toward the forest at the edge of the town.

"You'll see." Thomas told her.

Rose sighed quietly as Thomas continued to drag her toward their surprise location.

After a few more minutes, they came to a clearing near the edge of the woods. Rose could see a building in the distance, and a fence separating then from the building.

Rose recognized the building. It was the Shrieking Shack. But Thomas didn't stop at the viewpoint for the Shack. He dragged her into the edge of the woods, until the shack was no longer visible.

Then Thomas stopped, and he spun around to face Rose. He was grinning and fidgeting nervously. Rose looked at him, concerned, wondering what he possibly wanted to show her way out here.

"Thomas, what are we do-" Rose said, before she was cut off.

Thomas's look silenced her. It was one she had never seen from him before, and it confused her. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite identify. Was it admiration, perhaps? No. She had seen that from him before. This was different.

Rose was suddenly very conscious of how close they were standing as Thomas's hand came up to her face, gently brushing her hair off to the side and tucking it behind her ear ever so carefully.

"Thomas..." Rose said quietly, "What are we doing out here?"

Thomas just grinned and said, "You'll see."

Rose was still confused. What could possibly be going on out here? There were a million questions running through her mind.

She wasn't aware that Thomas had been leaning closer to her until the last possible second when he closed the gap between them. Rose was in shock. Thomas, her _best friend_, was kissing her!

Rose stood there, completely unsure of what to do. Then Thomas pulled back, blushing.

"I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't have done that. I, uh, I'll just be going now." Thomas stammered, clearly embarrassed.

Thomas turned to walk away, and Rose snapped back into reality. She practically jumped forward in her hast to get to Thomas. Rose put her hand on Thomas's shoulder, and he turned to look at her.

"Don't apologize." Rose said, blushing, "I... I liked it."

"R-Really?" Thomas stuttered, shocked.

Rose nodded, smiling, with her face bright red. Thomas grinned at her.

"In that case..." Thomas whispered as he closed the gap between them again.

Thomas's lips were soft against hers, and she felt her arms, almost against her will, go up to encircle his neck. Then his arms were around her waist, pulling her closer.

They stood there, kissing, for who knows how long. The time seemed to fly by faster the longer they were there.

Then finally Thomas pulled back, grinning like a complete idiot. Rose couldn't help but grin as well, despite the fact that she was blushing bright red.

"I've been wanting to do that for years." Thomas said.

"Really?"

Thomas nodded, grinning.

Then, he asked Rose out. And she said yes.

Rose, however, couldn't help but wish that it had been Scorpius she had kissed. She wished it had been Scorpius who had asked her out. But he probably didn't even like her.

Thomas was here. He liked her, and Rose liked him. All was well.

For now...


	7. Chapter 7

A couple weeks had passed since the trip to Hogsmeade. Rose and Thomas were dating, and very happy together. Soon after they started dating Rose found out that Thomas had had a HUGE crush on Rose ever since they were in their second year at Hogwarts. Everything was going great.

Until one Saturday in late December. Christmas had just passed but everyone was still on vacation until after the new year. Rose had chosen not to go back home for Christmas this year as she had far too much homework to complete over the vacation. Her homework was all done now, though, so she could do whatever she wanted for the rest for the vacation.

Rose decided to go down to the lake to read. She left the Ravenclaw common room and walked down several corridors with her head down, clutching a book to her chest. In one corridor, however, she ran into something- SOMEONE, she realized- and stumbled backward a few feet before she lost her balance completely and fell over backwards. Rose's book fell out of her grasp and crashed to the ground a few feet away from her.

Rose cursed under her breath and looked to see who she had run into. Her heart fluttered in her chest when she saw the blonde-haired Slytherin standing above her, concern twinkling in his eyes.

"Sorry, Scorpius. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going..." Rose stammered.

"It's alright, Red." Scorpius replied, chuckling lightly as he held a hand out to Rose.

Rose smiled a little and took Scorpius's hand. Scorpius helped her up, grinning. Then he picked up Rose's fallen book. Rose watched him silently as he examined the cover of the book. He seemed to take forever as he read the summary on the back and the first couple pages.

"Red, huh? Where did that come from?" Rose asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Unless I'm color blind, your hair is red. That's where it came from." Scorpius stated. "I've read this book. How are you liking it so far?"

"It's amazing. I adore it." Rose beamed as Scorpius handed her her copy of Clockwork Prince back.

"I have to say I prefer Mortal Instruments over Infernal Devices." Scorpius told her.

"Oh? Well I love them both so much. I can't decide which one I prefer." Rose smiled.

"You know, I've been told by quite a few people that I resemble Jace. I can't help but notice the impeccable resemblance between you and Clary." Scorpius said with a wink.

Rose felt herself blush as she asked, "Is that so?"

Scorpius nodded, taking a step toward her.

"I suppose I do resemble her some, with the red hair and such." Rose rambled, desperately trying to get Scorpius to say something instead of just staring at her the way he was.

Rose couldn't figure out what it was that was in his eyes, but it was nearly frightening. Whatever it was had caused his bright blue eyes to darken a bit, to an ocean blue color.

"And such a pretty, pretty face." Scorpius added, taking another step closer.

Every instinct in Rose told her to run off. She was with Thomas, and she couldn't hurt him. She WOULDN'T hurt him. He had never hurt her, so why should she hurt him?

But Rose didn't run. She stood there, blushing and looking down at her feet. Scorpius gently lifted her face up to look at him. He was smiling at her slyly.

"And such beautiful eyes..." He said, staring at her, clearly mesmerized.

Rose felt herself blush brighter. She was having a screaming match with herself inside her head. RUN! One voice yelled at her. STAY! He likes you! More than Thomas ever will! The other shouted. But she couldn't make up her mind in time.

Scorpius leaned in and kissed her. She was shocked at first, but then felt herself relax as Scorpius kissed her. Rose reached up and looped her arms around his neck, without realizing what she was doing, and shut her eyes. She felt Scorpius's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer.

But then her mind flashed to Thomas, smiling at her as they had sat in the Ravenclaw common room, talking about their plans for the holidays and kissing every so often.

Rose heard somebody drop their books and she jerked out Scorpius's embrace. Scorpius took a step back, and Rose swiveled to see who had dropped their books. At the other end of the corridor was Thomas. Rose stared at him in disbelief.

"Th-Thomas! Y-You're back early..." Rose stammered nervously.

"Obviously not early enough." Thomas said, just before he turned and ran off.

Rose had seen the hurt that was written all over his face before he had run off. She knew she had to fix this, so she ran after him, dropping her books on the ground beside his.

Scorpius stood there, dumbfounded as he watched the Weasley girl sprint down the corridor, her hair flying out behind her. She had seemed to have forgotten about him, because she hadn't said a thing to him before she took off.

Scorpius was getting rather sick of Thomas always drawing Rose's attention away from himself. Scorpius walked down the corridor to the mess of books on the ground. He sat and sorted them into two stacks: One containing Thomas's books, the other holding the books that belonged to the beautiful redheaded girl that he couldn't get out of his head.

Scorpius simply sat and waited there on the ground of the corridor after he finished sorting the books. Rose would come back for her books, he thought. She wouldn't just leave them here. And when she came back for them, he would be right here waiting so he could have a chance to talk to her again.


	8. Chapter 8

*****NOTE: For all of you who have been keeping up and reading each chapter as I publish it, thank you. Just thought that I'd tell you I changed the last part of Chapter 7, so you'll have to go back and read what I've changed in order for this next chapter to make sense to you. Thanks again!*****

Rose sprinted after Thomas, calling his name over and over again in hope that he would stop trying to run away from her. But he only stopped running when he reached the lake outside.

Rose hadn't realized how far she had chased him until she saw him standing at the edge of the water. She gasped for breath as she slowed her pace to a walk. Rose approached Thomas, her breathing more under control now.

"I leave for 2 weeks and come back to you kissing that Slytherin in the corridor!" Thomas said, hurt and anger and hatred and sadness all mixing together in his voice as he spoke.

"I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean f-for it to happen! I-It just d-did!" Rose stuttered, shaking in the cold, late December wind.

"Don't try apologizing for this! You can blame him all you want for it, but you are every bit as much to blame for this as he is! He may have kissed you, but you kissed him back, Rose!" Thomas seethed as he turned to look at her. His eyes, which were usually alive and bright with joy, now longer had that brightness to them. They were dull with sadness, except for that flicker of anger in them that seemed to grow more and more as Rose stared into Thomas's eyes.

"I never wanted to hurt you..." Rose said, her voice faltering as she spoke.

"Well you did. And it's too late to fix it now. I'm done with you." Thomas replied. With that, he left again.

Rose stared after him until he disappeared from her sight completely. Rose didn't even feel the tears flowing down her face. She had just lost her best friend, she was sure of it, and all she felt was a sickening numbness.

After what felt like forever of standing there, silently hoping Thomas would come running back and accept her apology, Rose gave up. She knew he wasn't coming back, so she started walking back to the castle. She cried silently as she walked, keeping her head down so her hair could hide her face from anybody who might be wandering the corridors. Rose wasn't consciously aware of where she was going, she just went wherever her feet were taking her.

As it turns out, Rose's feet were taking her back to the corridor where Scorpius sat next to two neat stacks of books, awaiting her return. Rose was looking at her feet as she walked, and she nearly tripped over one of the stacks of books. She stumbled a moment before regaining her balance.

She looked at the stack. They were Thomas's books, and on the very top was his notebook where he wrote down all of his music. The notebook had a picture of him and Rose in their first year attached to the front. It wasn't a muggle picture, though. It was one of the magical moving pictures that wizards take.

In the picture, Rose and Thomas were standing in front of the Hogwarts express, laughing and talk and hugging. Rose remembered that day well. It was the last day of their first year at Hogwarts, and Rose and Thomas didn't want to leave. Mostly, they just didn't want to have to go months without seeing each other, since they had been inseparable that whole year.

Rose felt herself start to shake with the sobs that she knew were coming as she stared at the picture. They had been so happy then, both of them only 11 years old. They would both turn 12 over the summer, but they wouldn't be able to celebrate together. They had wrote so many letters back and forth that summer that Rose's parents had joked that Rose was going to make her owl die of exhaustion. Rose had stopped writing letters to Thomas after that. It was only 3 weeks before school would start again.

Thomas had laughed when she told him what her parents had said. Rose's friend, Elizabeth, had looked at them weird as they cracked up laughing at the absurdity of the event. Elizabeth, Rose always called her Lizzy, had never fully understood the bond Rose and Thomas shared.

But that was okay, because Rose and Lizzy had their own special bond. The two girls were practically sisters, even though Lizzy came from a family of ex-Death Eaters and she was in Slytherin. Lizzy and Thomas, however, never got that close, seeing as they both always got really shy around each other. Rose used to find this hilarious that her two best friends who were so loud and outgoing could be so quiet and shy around each other. Rose used to joke and say it was because they were secretly in love with each other, but they both got offended by this statement. Rose had stopped saying that when they both freaked out about it in their 3rd year.

Rose sobbed as she stared at the picture on the notebook. Only then, for the first time, did she notice that Lizzy had been running through the sea of students behind Rose and Thomas, trying to reach them in time to be in the picture with them. But it hadn't worked, Rose thought, because she never knew that Lizzy had tried to reach them, because Rose didn't see Lizzy again until the first day of their next year at Hogwarts.

Rose was completely oblivious to the fact that Scorpius was standing right next to her, until he put his arm around her shoulder. Rose turned and cried into Scorpius's chest. Scorpius hugged Rose, stroking her hair and murmuring softly to try to calm her down.

After about 15 minutes Rose had calmed down enough to choke out the words, "Thomas hates me... He said he's done with me..."

Scorpius looked shocked to see this. He stared at Rose for a moment, then hugged her tightly. Rose hugged him back, practically clinging to him as her tears subsided. Scorpius pulled back after a minute.

He only pulled back enough to look at Rose. Their faces were only a few inches apart, and Scorpius gave Rose a soft smile. Rose managed to give him a small smile in return, then Scorpius kissed her cheek.

Rose felt herself blush slightly, and she instantly felt bad. Scorpius shouldn't be able to do this to her. Rose should be off begging Thomas for forgiveness. In fact, none of this should have happened. Rose and Thomas should have still been happily together, just like before, Rose thought.

This was not the case, though, and Rose felt like blaming Scorpius for ruining everything. But then Rose remembered what Thomas said to her at the lake, "You can blame him all you want for it, but you are every bit as much to blame for this as he is! He may have kissed you, but you kissed him back, Rose!"

I kissed him back. Rose thought to herself. This is my fault because I kissed him back...

Rose pushed Scorpius back, and he let go of her. He looked hurt.

"I have to go take care of something. I promise I'll be back." Rose said. She felt bad about lying to Scorpius, so she added, "Watch my books for me, please."

Scorpius simply nodded as Rose turned and ran off again. When would she stop running away from him, Scorpius wondered when Rose would ever quit running away from the people who cared about her. He sat back down beside the piles of books, and felt himself longing to look inside the notebook that had caused Rose to start sobbing,

No, don't. It's not yours to look at, Scorpius told himself. But eventually, his curiosity got the best of him and he picked up the notebook. Scorpius stared at the picture on the front. The girl in the picture was Rose, there was no mistaking that. But what surprised Scorpius most was that it was the same girl he had asked his father about in the train station right before he boarded in his first year.

"Father, who is she?" Scorpius had asked, interrupting his father, who had been pointing out specific children who were the kids of some of his old classmates.

"Who is who?" Scorpius's father had asked, not knowing which girl Scorpius had been talking about.

"Her! The one with the red hair, right over there!" Scorpius had said, pointing to the girl so his father would be able to find the girl Scorpius was talking about.

Scorpius's father had looked in the direction Scorpius was pointing until he finally saw the girl. When Scorpius's father finally saw the girl, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Scorpius.

"I want you to stay away from her, Scorpius." His father had told him.

"What? Why? Who is she?" Scorpius had asked, confused.

"Just stay away from her. She's a Weasley." His father had said with a grimace.

Scorpius had nodded quietly and quickly. He had been raised to hate the Weasley family just as his own father had been raised to. Scorpius knew that the Weasley's and the Malfoy's had never gotten along well, both families coming strictly from rival houses- Gryffindor and Slytherin. Scorpius's father had smiled just a little.

"Good boy. Now, be good at school. I don't want any owls coming home saying that you've been getting into trouble, alright?" Scorpius's father had said as he hugged Scorpius. Scorpius had nodded, and his father smiled before sending him off to board the train.

Scorpius thought back to that moment and couldn't help but smile. For almost 16 years now, he had done exactly as his father had told him. Now, Scorpius was disobeying his father, and oddly, he didn't care. Scorpius liked Rose, and he was NOT going to let his father change that. His father could change Scorpius's mind about anything, but liking Rose was something his heart had decided, and his father would never be able to change that.


	9. Chapter 9

Rose had run to the Ravenclaw common room as fast as she could, practically flying down the halls to get there. When Rose reached the common room, she answered the riddle the portrait asked her, then entered.

Rose entered just in time to see Thomas's figure walk up the staircase towards the boys' dormitories.

"Thomas! Wait!" Rose called as she ran toward him.

Thomas stopped and turned to look at Rose. His eyes were dull with sadness, and his cheek shone from the tears that had run down them. Rose felt a pang of guilt rush through her. This was HER fault. He was crying because of HER.

"What do yo-" Thomas started. But he was cut off by Rose.

"I'm sorry. I know I can never say that enough for it to even come close to meaning how sorry I really am. Thomas, you're my best friend. I care about you, I really do. But... I see you more like a brother than a boyfriend. I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear that but-" Rose interrupted Thomas.

It was Thomas's turn to interrupt Rose, now. "Rose, you don't have to keep apologizing. I get that you're sorry. I'm just hurt that you would do that to me. I can't believe that you'd disregard my feelings like that, like they didn't even matter. I like you a lot Rose, and I would do anything for you. And now I'm letting you go so you can be with him, because it's obvious that you and Scorpius need each other. I'm setting you free. So go on, go be with him." Thomas said, smiling slightly.

He's serious, Rose thought. He's actually serious about all this. Rose was baffled that Thomas was giving up so easily, but then again she knew he realized he would never truly have her heart. Rose stared at Thomas, her mouth opening to say something, but then she shut it again for a moment.

"Are... Are we still friends, then?" Rose asked after a few moments.

"Best friends, forever and always" Thomas started, grinning.

"And nobody can break us apart, 'till death do us part." Rose finished, reciting what they had told each other before departing to go home with their families in King's Cross Station after they had just finished their first year at Hogwarts.

Thomas grinned at Rose. Unable to help herself, Rose flung her arms around Thomas and hugged him tightly. She heard Thomas laugh softly as he hugged her back, just as tightly. Rose grinned and hugged him tighter.

"Alright, Red. You can let go now. You're starting to hurt me." Thomas chuckled.

"Sorry." Rose said as she let go of him. She couldn't help but smile upon hearing her nickname Thomas had given her during their third year. "You're the best though. You know that?"

Thomas simply smiled and shock his head. "No, you are."

Rose just grinned and hugged Thomas again.


	10. Chapter 10

"Scorpius! Hey!" A voice from somewhere behind Scorpius said. He recognized the voice instantly and turned to face the source of the voice.

Scorpius smiled when he saw Lizzy running down the corridor toward him. Lizzy was practically his sister. His parents had adopted Lizzy after her parents had died years ago in a horrible car accident. Scorpius and Lizzy had grown up together, since Lizzy's parents had died when she was 5.

"Elizabeth." Scorpius said, nodding once as his way of greeting her.

"Oh, loosen up why don't you!" Lizzy said, playfully smacking Scorpius.

Scorpius chuckled. "Fine, I suppose I could." Scorpius said, just before making a weird face that caused Lizzy to laugh.

"That's better! Hey, have you seen Rose? I've been looking for her all day!"

"She went to go talk to Thomas, I think... They've, err, hit a rough patch in their relationship, and I'm afraid it's my fault..."

"No it's not! How could it be your fault?"

"Well... I like Rose, and I've liked her for a while now. I didn't know she and Thomas were dating, until he saw us kissing and got mad at her about it..."

Lizzy stared at Scorpius, clearly in shock. "You... And Rose...?"

"No, unfortunately for me, no."

"Now I REALLY need to talk to her... See ya!" With that, Lizzy turned and skipped away.


End file.
